Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Collaboration
Explaining the development of the individualized education program (IEP) and the importance of family and staff collaboration. What´s an IEP? * IEP is an acronym that stands for: Individualized Educational Program. Under the IDEA, the primary vehicle for providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is through an appropriately developed individualized education program (IEP) that is based on the individual needs of each student. An IEP has to be a truly individualized document, must take into account a student’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, and the impact of that child’s disability on his/her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. The IEP have a section on the individualized instruction and other services a student will receive. These services, such as resource instruction in reading, writing, math, social skills, or behavior. The IEP goals must be aligned with grade-level content standards for all children with disabilities. The student’s IEP must be developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the requirements outlined in the IDEA. Who should attend the IEP team meeting ? The following members: — The parents. — The regular education teacher of the student (if the student is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment). — At least one special education teacher of the student, or where appropriate, not less then one special education provider of the child. — A representative of the public agency who is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities; is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum; and is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency. — An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results. — other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel as appropriate. — The student with a disability (when appropriate). Each person on the team has a unique role. The special education teacher knows what forms of specially designed instruction can be easily done in school; the general education teacher is an expert in the general education curriculum of the grade in which the student is current placed; the district representative ensures that the IEP is legally compliant and all the stipulations of the IEP can be put in place; the interpreter of test data helps the team to understand the testing information. Finally, the parent, has the unique role of understanding the child from birth and outside of a school setting. Types of assessment and testing needed for the IEP The assessments or evaluations provide objective data to determine if a student is eligible to receive special-education services. Determining a learning disability requires assessments along with other data, such as: class work, teacher observation, and private diagnosis (though having private medical diagnosis of a disability does not equal an automatic IEP). The school psychologist, a special education teacher, a speech or occupational therapists are in charge of administering the different tests to students. It’s important to note that NO testing can begin until the parent consent by giving written permission to evaluate. Areas of testing: # Cognitive: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), is an intelligence test for children between the ages of 6 and 16. The test generates a Full Scale IQ (formerly known as an intelligence quotient or IQ score) that represents a student's general intellectual ability. It also provides five primary index scores: Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed. These indices represent a child's abilities in discrete cognitive domains. This test provide good information about a student’s strengths as well as his or her challenges. It also is often used to determine the amount of time a student may be in the general-education classroom or even school. Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale: is a norm-referenced test, it provides information about individual’s overall intelligence, cognitive ability, and detect any cognitive impairment or learning disabilities. The test measures factors such as memory, reasoning, knowledge, and processing. The questions are designed to help educators differentiate between students performing below grade level because of cognitive disabilities and those who do so for other reasons. 2. Academic achievement: Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery, 'is a valid and reliable assessment tool of both cognitive abilities and achievement among children and adults. Test includes mandatory sections and optional subtests. The scores are then combined into composite scores. The identified areas help the IEP team look at specific areas of need, which then help create meaningful IEP goals. Is used to identify head injury, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD; low incidence disabilities such as visual impairment and autism; and gifted students including those with a learning disability. Higher education students have benefit from WJ III tests as well. 3. Behavior: '''Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) or Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, ' is designed to measure adaptive behavior of individuals from birth to age 90. The main domains are: Communication, Daily Living Skills, Socialization, Motor Skills, and Maladaptive Behavior (optional). The domain scores yield an adaptive behavior composite. Is used to measure behavior and mental health, including how the student sees him- or herself as well as how parents and school staff see the student; these evaluations do not offer a diagnoses but instead look at life skills, social skills, social concerns, and attention. It may help identify mental-health concerns and/or behavioral issues. 4. Functionality: '''School Function Assessment (SFA) '''measures student performance of functional tasks that affect the academic and social aspects of an elementary school program. SFA facilitates collaborative program planning for students with various disabling conditions. Evaluates three areas: participation, task support, and activity performance. It is usually used for students in kindergarten through grade 6. It addresses not only classroom access but also playground, lunch, physical education, and other school areas. 5. Speech: '''Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Third Edition (CELF-3) '''the test identifies children, adolescents, and young adults who lack the basic foundations of content and form that characterize mature language use. The CELF-3 tests the relationship among semantics, syntax/morphology, pragmatics, and memory. Is designed to differentiate normal from disordered language in the receptive and expressive domains. This test can direct the IEP team to develop goals and also accommodations such as books on tape or written (not verbal) instructions as well as for direct therapy with the SLP for both expressive and receptive language. '''Recommendations to help families to get a better understanding of the IEP process As a parent, if you think that your child may qualify for special education services, you need to request an evaluation. The first step is to contact your child’s teacher, school psychologist or the school principal. A group of qualified personnel will decide whether to evaluate or not and create a plan for the evaluation. The intimate knowledge you have of your child is valuable. Share what you know about your child’s development and learning experiences, past and present. Watch and listen to your child, and document what you observe. What’s revealed to you may be the “missing link” that will help the IEP team serve your child well. After testing and gathering of existing data, the evaluation team will meet again to discuss the results. Any time the decisions are made regarding evaluation, the parents are invited to participate. All decisions regarding evaluation require the school district to inform and parents to be a participant. There should be no decisions about whether or how to evaluate without the parents being a part of the team’s discussion. Before the school system may provide special education and related services to the child for the first time, the parents must give consent. The child begins to receive services as soon as possible after the meeting. If the parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. The school makes sure that the child's IEP is being carried out as it was written. Parents are given a copy of the IEP. Each of the child's teachers and service providers has access to the IEP and knows which are their specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP. Those responsibilities include: the accommodations, modifications, and supports that must be provided. The child's progress toward the annual goals is measured, as stated in the IEP. Parents are regularly informed of their child's progress and whether that progress is enough to achieve the goals by the end of the school year. These progress reports must be given to parents at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children's progress. IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year, or more often if the parents or school ask for a review, all team members are invited to the meeting. At least every three years the child must be reevaluated. This evaluation is often called a "triennial." Its purpose is to find out if the child continues to be a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA, and what the child's educational needs are. However, the child must be reevaluated more often if conditions warrant or if the child's parent or teacher asks for a new evaluation. It's important for the parents to become familiar with the IEP process, terminology, special education services and legal rights. The IEP process involves many timelines and deadlines. Find out if the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or your state requires the school district to respond to your request (for an evaluation or another decision point) within a certain time frame. Mark that deadline on your calendar. The reverse is true, too. If you have to sign an IEP or file a complaint within a set time frame, jot it down. This can keep parents from worrying and helps to stay on top of things. Build a network with other parents through our online community. You can also look for local parent groups. When families share strategies and successes, the IEP journey is easier to navigate. With time and experience, your confidence will grow. Inside the IEP, you should expect to find all of the following: * Present Levels: this is a snapshot of who the child is and how he is doing right now. This should include eligibility information, contact information for the parents and a summary of current work. This summary should include data such as reading and math test results, current grades, observed skills, behavioral referrals and records of work habits. In essence, the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) should state the students strengths and weaknesses, classroom performance, and provide measurable baseline data from which goals are created. * Offer of Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): this is commonly referred to as “placement” and/or “services.” This is the binding part of the contract, in which the district offers classroom and/or ancillary services such as speech therapy or adaptive physical education. It should specify how often (number of days in the school year) the child will receive these services and the duration of the services (how many minutes per session). * Goals: goals are written to provide measures of progress. Goals can be academic, behavioral, social or transition-based, and should always be written for recognized areas of need. * Accommodations and Modifications: accommodations and modifications are changes to the classroom environment that may be necessary to assist the student. Both terms are often unclear, the general rule is: if it helps the student to complete the same work at the same level as his peers, it is an accommodation; if it changes the work, or the work is completed at a different level, it is a modification. * Transition Plan: recent legislation requires that students who will turn 16 within the life of the IEP must have a transition goal and plan. * Signature Page and Meeting Notes: Each member of the IEP team typically signs, indicating that he or she was present at the meeting and approves the notes from the meeting. In addition, the parent must consent to the accommodations, modifications and placement (offer of FAPE) from the district for the initial IEP to be implemented. Developing appropriate goals and objectives for the IEP An IEP goal is a target for what the students will learn in a school year. Annual goals identify the areas in which a student with a disability needs special education services or specially designed instruction. The purpose of IEP goals (and all special education services) is to assist the student in accessing and progressing in the general education curriculum. Your child’s IEP may include two different types of goals: * Academic (standards-based) goals, which are directly linked to progressing toward enrolled grade-level content standards, and/or * Functional (non-standards-based) goals, which assist the student in accessing the enrolled grade-level content standards. While not a requirement, objectives may be written into the IEP along with the goals. Objectives are short-term “benchmarks” or “milestones” that can be used to measure a child’s progress toward the bigger target - the goal. The parent may request that short-term objectives be included to help track how their child is progressing toward his/her annual goals. Annual goals should be based on: * student academic achievement record and standards based. This means that each academic goal should be tied to the curriculum grade level. The curriculum states what the student is supposed to know or be able to do within each academic year along with pre-requisite skills. * Measurable: goals are defined as statements and should also include a: timeframe, (the explicit period of time that the student will it take to achieve the goal, such as number of weeks/completion date), conditions (what specific resources are needed for a student to reach the goal, such as an accommodation and/or assistive technology device), behaviors (performance or action being monitored), criterion (how much, how often, or to what standard must the behavior occur in order to demonstrate that the goal has been achieved). Types of service models for co-teaching and inclusion classrooms: pros and cons Co-teaching is the practice of pairing teachers together in a classroom to share the responsibilities of planning, instructing, and assessing students. In a co-teaching setting, the teachers are considered equally responsible and accountable for the classroom. Co-teaching is often implemented with general and special education teachers paired together as part of an initiative to create a more inclusive classroom. Having two teachers leading a classroom opens up many opportunities for students as well as the teachers. Some of the benefits of co-teaching : * More opportunities for one on one interaction between students and teachers, leading to stronger relationships. * Students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum as required by law, which includes the classroom community and activities they otherwise wouldn’t take part in. * Students still have opportunities for specialized instruction when needed. * All students can benefit from the additional supports, resources, and diversity in the classroom. * Increased independence for students with disabilities. * Stronger, more creative, lessons due to teachers sharing the planning process with each other. * Teachers are able to support one another by complimenting each other’s strengths and weaknesses, building camaraderie and dividing the workload in the classroom. A co-teaching partnership can be put into practice using a variety of methods: # Team teaching. Both teachers plan lessons and work together to teach students. This helps students see the teachers as equals with each other. It also gives students the chance to ask questions and get assistance during a lesson. This can be especially helpful for students with accommodations. # One teaches, one assists and/or observes. Having one teacher actively teaching frees up the other teacher to assist and give individual help as needed. Or the other teacher can observe. For instance, an observing teacher may collect information about how a child responds to different teaching approaches and about his attention and behavior. That kind of data is valuable for IEPs and for behavior intervention plans. # Station teaching. Teachers may be responsible for different parts of the lesson plan. This allows them to play to their teaching strengths. Students are divided into groups and move from one station to the other. Or the teachers rotate from group to group. # Parallel teaching. The class is split in half, and each teacher takes one group. Both groups are taught the same thing but in a different way. # Alternative teaching. One teacher handles a larger group of students. Meanwhile, the other teacher works with a small group on a different lesson or gives more support to struggling learners. Co-teaching doesn’t always work perfectly. Some of the disadvantages are: * Teachers may disagree on the best strategy for teaching a topic or how to grade a certain student. * Teacher experiences: one teacher may be more experienced working with exceptional learners and that implies all students are not going to interact or get to know the other teacher as well. * Lack of co-planning time. * Differing expectations: if one half of a team-teaching pair has high expectations while the other has lower, students may struggle to meet these differing requirements. * Increased students dependency: when students become used to one-on-one assistance, they may become overly dependent and less able to tackle learning tasks independently. * Noise: depending on the physical classroom space available, noise can present a challenge. If one teacher is working with students in small groups or teaching a separate lesson while another leads a full group lecture, the noise level can become distractingly high.